WE 500 Touch Tone in circular dial inset.

[HobieSport]

I just bought this off Ebay to use when I need touch tone service.  Can anyone tell me what it would be called? (model number?)  I just really like that it has full 12 button touch tone but is in a standard rotary type 500 body, as I'm not very fond of the more squared off bodies of the 2500s. I won't know what year it is until it arrives.  It is already refurbished and the aqua color is not faded, no chips, cracks or scratches. I paid $35. BIN.

[bingster]

I saw that too, and wondered about it.  I had never seen a Western/Northern in that configuration before.  You'll have to take pictures when it arrives.

[JorgeAmely]

Send an email to Paul Fassbender and attach a picture. He will know for sure.

His email is: phones@paul-f.com

I am curious to see how it looks under the hood. 

[HobieSport]

Thanks Bingster and Jorge.  I'll post pictures of "under the hood" and tell the date (s) when it arrives.  I'm emailing Paul F. to ask for info about it now and will post his reply.

[McHeath]

I was watching that one as well, and almost pulled the trigger on it.  These folks will be glad to sell you one:

http://www.oldphones.com/servlet/Detail?no=9

From what I've gathered it was not a Western Electric phone but a Northern Electric model.  No idea of the model number, they claim at oldphones that it's a 3500, but who knows?  Look forward to seeing and learning more about it when you get it Hobie.

[HobieSport]

Paul Fassbender also said that WE didn't make these, and that NE did.  I don't know why the seller described it as a WE.  Maybe it has a WE handset. The seller bought it from a pro phone refurbisher so it could be a conglomeration of parts.  No matter; I just like the style and color and it's all ready to use.  I'll let y'all know what kind of animal it turns out to be when it arrives.

[benhutcherson]

From what I've gathered it was not a Western Electric phone but a Northern Electric model.  No idea of the model number, they claim at oldphones that it's a 3500, but who knows?  Look forward to seeing and learning more about it when you get it Hobie.

3500 would make sense for the model number. Cortelco currently still sells the wall phone with the round dial pad under the model number of 3554. The 2554 is the slimmed down version, which only has a gong ringer and the thin lip that the handset hangs on(as opposed to a big plastic or chrome hook).

[rp2813]

Check out the thread I started a while back in General Discussion titled "Black Bottom 2500" and there is more information on this particular model there.  In fact, I think there is a link to that very same phone that you won.

Ralph

[Sargeguy]

I almost bought that phone too but I restrained myself.  Baby needs to go to college eventually after all.

[HobieSport]

Thanks Ralph; I knew I had seen the aqua TT 500 somewhere on the forum...

I guess I overpaid at $35. and it has no real collector value, but it is a phone that I actually want to use daily, and the color and condition is right for me.

[McHeath]

I don't think you overpaid at all, and like everything else it will someday have collector value we just are not there yet.  I sold my 1960 Chevy Bel Air for a couple hundred bucks and was lucky to get it as no one on the planet wanted to collect those cars at that time.  All the car dudes were disdainful of it, and telling me that I wasted my money in buying it in the first place as it was not a classic. 

Now look at what they are worth. 

I'm telling ya, in 60 years even the current day production Cortelco 2500s are going to be "classics".  And a working current day cell phone will be a sought after collector piece. 

[HobieSport]

As it turns out I did overpay, as the phone, though described on Ebay as a Western Electric, turned out to be a Chinese "Premier" phone.  Unfortunately I didn't save the sellers' contact info to point out the miss-information (intentional or not) so that I could return the phone for a refund.

So I just took it as a newbie lesson. I actually like the phone. It's a nice style and color and works fine. And everyone should have at least one Chinese phone, right? (Notice my desperate attempt at rationalization and positive thinking... )

[Phonesrfun]

I do not believe that Western ever did make a production moldel circular cover.  ITT and others that made 500 look-alikes under the cross licensing agreement did.  I think the only circular ones WE did were on early prototypes.  Paul F's website, I think, has some examples.

-Bill

[McHeath]

Hey let's see the guts!  Enquiring minds want to know.

[HobieSport]

Hey let's see the guts!  Inquiring minds want to know.

Okay, I'll post pics, but at the moment I'm waiting to receive a new copy of Photoshop to process the pics with.